God would raise Jesus from the dead. That’s the message that sounded crazy. That’s what made the council believe that the church was filled with madmen.
Madmen, that is likely what the apostles sounded like to the Pharisees and the Council. Crazy is what Gamaliel calls them, just as nuts as ol’ Theudas and Judas the Galilean. He says for them to simply leave them alone. That was the sage advice of the great teacher of Israel. However, it was this neglect by the council, and it was this advice from Gamaliel, which would make the flame of Pentecost become a fire that spread from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and even to the ends of the earth (1:8).
This event in Acts reminds me so much of 2 Samuel 21:10-15. That was the time David was fleeing Saul, and he went to Achish of Gath to hide in his court. But Achish and his court knew who David was and what he had done. This meant trouble for David, so he actually did pretend to be insane so his life might be spared! He acted the fool by making marks on the post of the gate and letting saliva run down his face, which led the Philistines to neglect him and let him get away. This mistake by the Philistines would eventually lead to their ruin as David would ascend the throne and, later, the son of David would establish a kingdom and reign that Achish would always have to live in the shadow of (1 Kings 2:39-40). If Achish had killed David right then and there the story might have looked a little different. If the council in Acts had killed the apostles then and there the story might have come out a little different.
But this story is not about coincidence and happenstance. No, this is the story not of David or his Son but of David’s greater son (2 Samuel 7:12-13; Psalm 110:1), Jesus, who this very council called a madman (John 10:19-20) and tried to dismiss Him. Jesus, who this same council tried to kill right then and there, and, in fact, they did kill him on the cross. But ironically, as Gamaliel put it, not even that act of killing Jesus would stop what God was doing. Listen to the irony of Gamaliel’s words when he says: “But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God” (5:39). You cannot resist the will of God in Christ!
God would raise Jesus from the dead. This is the message that sounded crazy. This is what made the council believe the Church was filled with madmen. Because everyone knows dead people do not come back to life. But Jesus did. He rose, and that news needs to be marked on every gate and post throughout the entire world. God kept His promises, to David, and to all of us, and His promises are fulfilled in the Messiah, Jesus.
God would raise Jesus from the dead. This is the message that sounded crazy. This is what made the council believe the Church was filled with madmen.
Poor Thomas in our Gospel lesson today felt the same way as the council. In John 20:19-31 Thomas heard the identical message about Jesus that they did in Acts but believed his friends had gone stark raving mad. The dead cannot rise! “Unless I see, unless I touch.” It was all madness, that is until Jesus was there with them all. The real Jesus is who Thomas saw. Thomas touched and Jesus gave this poor pragmatist peace. It was and is a peace which the world cannot give. Because of this, Thomas believed and made the good confession that Jesus is Lord and God. Now, you are those who are “blessed and have not seen” (20:31) just like all those who would hear the message in the book of Acts, those who are saved by grace through faith. Nothing sounds crazier than the Easter message. But keep proclaiming it and God will protect, preserve, and push that message out until the whole world hears that He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed, Alleluia and Amen.
For a sermon like this, which uses multiple stories from the Bible, you may want to consider using a Storied Discourse Structure, unironically named the Multiple Story Structure.
“In this structure, the sermon communicates a central teaching or experience for the hearers by offering a series of stories that have been strategically placed next to one another to form the sermon. The strategic placement of the stories allows them to interact with one another, reinforcing experiences or themes for the hearers (like a contemporary story introduces the hearers to an experience that is then repeated in the biblical story) or qualifying these experiences or themes (for example, a biblical story might call into question the “resolution” of a contemporary story and, thereby, invite the hearers into further consideration). The multiple-story structure has two primary challenges for the preacher: The way each story is told and the way in which the stories are linked to one another.
In telling each story, the preacher seeks to maintain a specific and strategic focus in experience or thought for the hearers. Each story has the potential to distract the hearers from the intended experience or theme of the sermon. Therefore, the preacher uses narrative techniques (like a “refrain”) to implicitly direct the experience of the hearers within the telling of the story. Also, such direction can be explicit as expository material is used to clarify the meaning of the story (for example, “The reason I tell this story is...”).
As the preacher moves from story to story, he needs to be aware of the experiential or logical connection that holds the stories together (like the first story raises a problem for which the second story provides a solution). Multiple story sermons often have an unstated propositional structure (for example, the first two stories depict two ways of encountering Jesus and the third story contrasts this with a depiction of how Jesus encounters us). Sometimes the preacher uses expository material to clarify these connections for the hearers.”[1]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Acts 5:29-42
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Acts 5:29-42
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/textual/genre/narrative/multiple-story-structure/
